They say the best things come to those who wait and, boy, did Jon Shiner wait. Fully thirteen years passed between the day he released the first Badlands Brewery beers in 2010 and the day he welcomed the first guests through the doors of his Orange brewpub.
For context, in the intervening period, the local beer industry grew from around 150 brewing companies to more than 800, lactose went from being something you might find in the odd milk stout to cropping up in everything from IPAs to sours – heck, who was even making sours (deliberately) in 2010? – and Pirate Life, Green Beacon and Balter all had time to launch, win a bunch of trophies, and become part of Asahi.
In short, it was a long time to wait. Although when we say “wait”, it’s not like Jon sat around twiddling his thumbs. It just took an entire era in beer (an entire beera?) to secure the right site and build his dream Badlands brewpub.
Along the way, beers aplenty took shape at his production-only brewery on the outskirts of the regional NSW town, many pouring at a cellar door of sorts inside The Agrestic Grocer. Badlands helped put beer on the map in a region traditionally known for its food and wine. And his decals were among the first to appear with regularity on taps in Sydney as that city’s craft beer scene finally started to come to life.
Let’s start at the end, however, at the brewery and taproom that sits just off Summer Street, Orange’s main drag.
The brewery is pretty much the same setup that Jon and his team had been using before moving lock, stock and the odd beer-filled barrel to the centre of town, installed in full view of guests along one side of a spacious brick building that formerly housed a car dealership (one that sold the first Buick in Australia, if you’re after fresh trivia questions). And while it’s pretty much the same setup, now you can drink right next to it – literally – in the knowledge the beers in your glass have travelled no more than a few metres.
The remainder of the building, accessed via an alleyway off Summer Street or a car park at the rear where there’s a small beer garden, is dedicated to the hospo experience. A 14-tap bar sits at one end – redbrick on the front, tiled at the rear, serving up beers that range from the familiar – a German-inspired lager, hopped-up middy, a cracking pilsner that made the Top 20 Aussie Beers of 2023 in The Weekend Australian, their popular ginger – to those that reflect Jon’s British heritage, such as the English pale ale and sweet ’n’ sticky Scottish ale Kilt that won a gold medal at the 2023 Indies.
Then there’s the regularly changing limited releases. You might find a couple of IPAs pouring, almost certainly something sour, and in all likelihood a couple of dark beers, in turn quite possibly dosed with nitro. Chances are, there’s a giggle to be found in their names – or a funny story the jovial, hospitable staff will happily share. And you’re able to take your favourites home in both cans and growlers too.
Links to Jon’s UK upbringing can be found beyond the taps, most notably the dart board hanging under the wall to floor SIGNS SIGNS SIGNS SIGNS mural. It does occasionally come down, but only to make way for the musos and bands that perform next to the racking and barrels. Keeping you fed is the rotating lineup of food trucks that slide into the alleyway next to the main entrance.
As for the tale of how he reached this point, it’s one that goes back a long way. Prior to launching Badlands, Jon was a homebrewer working in IT; missing the ales and milds he’d enjoyed before switching England for Sydney, and inspired by brewer-owners such as Paul Holgate and Ben Kraus at Bridge Road Brewers, he decided to add a bit of colour to the New South Wales beer scene.
Initially, his output focused on traditional British styles before he started to embrace the sort of beers popularised by US brewers (which makes sense given the brand’s look and inspiration), all the while retaining the wit and wordplay of his naming conventions. Case in point being the most recent limited release at time of writing: a mango sour called Wincin’ Man-Gogh complete with bastardised Van Gogh painting on the labels…
While he lacked a venue that could act as a community hub for the first 13 years of beers, that didn’t stop Badlands becoming a community player. Whether running fundraisers for causes around Orange, supporting local sports clubs and events, or rocking up to the wider region’s festivals, the brand has always championed Jon’s adopted home.
It’s a side of the business that’s become easier with the move into town, while the move has helped broaden Orange’s already notable food and drinks scene. While foodies and oenophiles have long been spoilt by the restaurants and cellar doors in this part of the Central Tablelands (and anyone after an on point martini is in for a treat at the tiny Hey Rosey), the Badlands taproom ensures those who favour grain over grape are sorted too.
When we spoke to Jon on the brewery’s tenth anniversary, he said of the brewery’s slow, steady growth: “It was never about changing the world, never my intention to get really big. It’s only ever been the brewing, that creativity, that’s interested me – and still does interest me – about the industry. It’s what I’ll always love about it.”
Presumably, the arrival of the taproom in 2023 means Badlands has grown to be just about as big as he wants it, with the 14 taps and captive audience providing him with the ideal platform to continue getting creative well into the brewery’s second decade.
James Smith
